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The Object Is...
"Every famous person, living or dead, real or fictional, can be associated with objects, all kinds of objects. If the object is a kite, you think of Benjamin Franklin. If the object is an apple, you think of William Tell, or Adam, or Sir Isaac Newton. Add another object, an arrow, and you know it's William Tell. That's the game we play. We call it The Object Is... Our players today: (insert names here). And here's the star of our show, Dick Clark!" The Object Is... was a game show where celebrities and players tried to connect inanimate objects with famous people. Gameplay The object of the game was to guess a famous person from a series of clues which were all objects (things people touch, hold, feel, eat, etc.) related to the person in some way. Here's an example: If the name were Charles Lindbergh, then a typical clue would be "Transatlantic Airplane". Main Game The main game went through two formats in its 13-week run. Format #1 Three contestants competed with three celebrity guest stars. Each contestant had two celebrity partners, so two celebrities would work with two contestants. Host Clark gave the mystery name to the first celebrity who would then give an object-type clue. The contestant would then have a chance to score points by identifying the name. If the contestant was not able to guess the right name, then he/she would be shown that same name and then convey the name to the next celebrity by giving a new object. If the second celebrity couldn't guess that name correctly, then the second celebrity conveyed the name to the next contestant, and so on. Format #2 For the show's final two weeks, the format changed. Now, two contestants played with two celebrities (one for each contestant), and it was played in a Password-like format. For one member of each team was given the name of a famous person, then they alternated turns giving object clues to convey to their partners until one partner got the name right. The celebrities gave the clues first, then the contestants. Each team would be allowed up to three turns per name. Jobs switched throughout the game after each name. Scoring Here's how they scored: ---- In either format, the first player to score 15 points won the game and won some money: $75 (later $100) in the first format with each of the other players earning $5 per point, and $100 in the second format. Winner's Game The winning contestant went on to play the Winner's Game for a little more money. In the first format, winning contestants played the Winner's Game after each game win, but in the second format they had to win a best 2-out-of-3 game match in order to qualify. In the Winner's Game, Dick showed a live object which represented a category. Then the winning team had 30 seconds to name as many names that fit under the category as possible. The celebrity & contestant had to alternate turns while doing this. When time was up, the winning contestant received $5 for each correct name given. The Winner's Game was eliminated when each game started awarding $100 to the winner, but returned when the format changed to two teams playing best-of-three matches. ---- In the first main game format, the three contestants stayed for the entire show, and the player with the most money came back on the next show. Rating Studio ABC Television Center, Los Angeles, CA Trivia This was Dick Clark's very first game show. His successful dance show American Bandstand was 11 years old at the time of this program. When the show debuted, the opening sequence used the logo from the pilot set. By March 6, it was updated to use the logo from the series' set. After this show was cancelled, Dick hosted Missing Links (which replaced Object on the schedule, moving from NBC and it was previously hosted by his future co-host on TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, Ed McMahon), although it ended on Christmas Day 1964. His next game show wouldn't be until 1973, with The $10,000 Pyramid. Unlike many other shows of the era, Object is fully intact. All 65 episodes, plus the pilot, are held by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Links [http://rjgameshows2.bravehost.com/theobjectis.html Josh Rebich's The Object Is Rule Sheet] YouTube Videos Full December 30, 1963 premiere (Dwayne Hickman, Yvonne Craig, Hans Conried; Georgette vs. Gerald vs. Mary Anne) Full March 6, 1964 episode (Barry Sullivan, Arlene Dahl, Carl Ballantine; Karen vs. Don vs. Juanita) Full March 26, 1964 episode (Stubby Kaye & Joan Caulfield; Nola vs. Leonard) Category:Puzzle Category:Celebrity Category:ABC shows Category:Network shows Category:Network daytime shows Category:Daytime shows Category:Short-Running Category:Flops Category:30 Minute Game Shows Category:1963 premieres Category:1964 endings